The present invention relates generally to spray nozzles, and more particularly to a soap dispensing spray nozzle.
A spray nozzle that produces a soapy foam is useful for many things. In such a spray nozzle, liquid soap is typically mixed with water prior to or within the spray nozzle, and the soap/water mixture is ejected from the spray nozzle under pressure to produce the soapy foam.
One problem with such a spray nozzle is that it is difficult to stop the production of the soapy foam. Even when no more liquid soap is mixed with the water, a residual soap/water mixture can continue to produce the soapy foam for an extended period of time.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a soap dispensing spray nozzle includes a mechanism for injecting liquid soap into a water stream outside of the soap dispensing spray nozzle as the water stream leaves the soap dispensing spray nozzle. The liquid soap can be selectively injected into the water stream, so that the soap dispensing spray nozzle can produce either a clear water stream when no soap is injected into the water stream or a soapy foam when soap is injected into the water stream.
In a typical embodiment of the present invention, the soap dispensing spray nozzle includes a pump-action spray trigger for controlling the flow of liquid soap into the water stream.